Interviewing - not for a specific position - Help needed!

Submitted by Dani Martin
in
Career Management
I would appreciate some input on this one... BLUF -- How do I answer the salary question when I'm not interviewing for a specific position? Here's the background: I am meeting (ie, interviewing) with a [b]very[/b] senior executive at a company I'd like to work for. I'm not interviewing for a specific position, but rather meeting with him to discuss my background/experiences with the possibility of a future opportunity. I know from conversations he's had with others close to me that he likes to hire overqualified people as his assistant and then move them into more advanced positions when the need arises. This is a young and quickly expanding company. I also know from others that he wants to know what salary I'm looking for. My plan is to give a range based on an assistant position and follow it up by stating how interested I am in working for him because of the opportunity for growth. Thoughts? Thanks, Dani
Submitted by Chris Donnachie on Wednesday October 1st, 2008 10:24 am

Why quote for assistant role where you are overqualified and you are being hired not for this role but for some future undefined role?

My advice is to set your salary expectations assuming a role you are qualified to do. You may chose to accept less on the promise of early advancement - but it is a step back in the short term. Any deficit on salary level needs to be clear on both sides as it represents an investment by you in the company.

Good luck

Chris

Submitted by Nik Friedman T… on Wednesday October 1st, 2008 10:53 am

Yeah, I think that's a good plan. It can also be useful to simply lead with "My current compensation is... and I'm hoping for a position that pays in the range of ..." where the range is a pretty broad range. You can always qualify it with, "But I would expect wages commensurate with the position, and am certainly interested in a great opportunity over and above compensation."

Submitted by John Hack on Wednesday October 1st, 2008 12:12 pm

Tell him your range. Don't make it too broad. I disagree with Nik: you don't need to say "But I would expect wages commensurate..." If you're above their range, a good hiring manager will say, "We can only pay up to X - is that going to be a problem?"

Then you can either reply, "Yes," and wrap up the conversation, or you can reply "Depending on the opportunity, I might consider that number..."

Remember, if they think you'll succeed, they'll want to make this happen.

You should also have a really good answer to the question: "what would you like to be doing if you could have any position?"

John